Fire-controller.



S. FARRAR.

FIRE GUNTRULLEB.

(Application med Juno 9,11900.)

Patented 1an. l5, 190|.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

sAMEL EARRAR, on coHoEs, NEW YORK.

FIRE-CONTROLLER.

SQECIFIO'ATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 665,890, dated January 15, 1901.

Application tiled June 9, 1900. Serial No. 19,767. (No model.)

T all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL FARRAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cohoes, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-Controllers, Of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for coniining conagrations within a particular area.

It has been frequently observed that in the destruction of inhabited buildings by fire, especially those that are large and several stories in height, greater loss of life and disaster results from smoke and snffocation and from the flame seeking a lateral exit than from any other cause.

It is a well-known fact that the products of combustion from a fire will seek the most convenient eXit-that is, the flames usually burst through the first open door or window orendeavor to find access to the outside atmosphere through the medium of the elevatorshaft or ventilator-shaft, thus shutting off all means of escape by the occupants of the building except by jumping; but as no absolutely safe fire-net has been putin practice great loss of life results therefrom.

It is the purpose of my invention to localize the re or confine it within a small area of its origin, or at least confine the flames within the compartment where it started for a time sufficiently long to permit the occupants of the building to not only make their own escape in safety, but to remove valuables and belongings.

With these objects in view my invention consists in certain novel details of construction and peculiar combinations of parts, all of which will be specifically described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure lis a vertical longitudinal sectional view of' a portion of a building to which my invention is attached. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the chimney or main ue, and 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. l.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 and 2 designate a plurality of floors of a building suitably supported upon joists 3 and 4.

5 and 6 designate the ceilings of the rooms. Between each ceiling and the floor above I provide a longitudinally arranged troughshaped flue 7, communicating with each room separately and with a centrally arranged main and vertical flue or chimney 8. These flues 7 I will designate as auxiliary flu'es, open at the top and provided with downwardly-projecting end flanges 9, opening into the respective rooms through the ceiling and having a covering of perishable or inflammable material l0, which will normally keep the flues 7 closed, but when occasion demands may be easily destroyed either manually or by the iiames. However, the openings 1l in the main flue or chimney 8 communicate directly with the rooms or apartments adjacent to said chimney. In these adjacent compartments it will not be necessary to provide the flues 7, inasmuch as the openings will be substituted therefor. The flues 7 are preferably constructed of fire-brick or some other suitable non-infiammable material, as is also the main line S, and said iiue 8 is provided at its base with openings 12, through which air is admitted to create a draft, a metallic jacket 13 being provided around the entire chimney 8 to more effectually protect the same and extends up its entire height. It will thus be seen that normally the flues 7 and the main iiue 8 will be closed to the several apartments. However, should a fire break out in the compartment designated by the reference-numeral 14 the occupant thereof may easily destroy the cap 10, thus allowing the smoke and other products to escape through the flue 7. Should the occupant be absent and the flames arise to a sufficient height, they will consume this cap and automatically find their way into the main fine. The same operation might easily take place in any of the other compartments, or in case of a serious confiagration the floor could be broken immediately over one of the flues 7 and two flues might be ntilized in case one were not sufficient for the purpose. However, as it is only the purpose of my invention to confine the lire to the location of its origin this condition will rarely arise.

I desire to have it understood that I reserve the right to make such changes in the arrangement of parts as would properly come within the scope of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

IOO

I claiml. In a fire-controller for buildings, the combination wthra main iue, of a plurality of trough-shaped auxiliary ilues projecting therefrom and arranged in dierent parts of 'the building, said auxiliary ues being normally closed but adapted to be automatically opened by heat.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a building; of a main flue, a plurality of auxiliary lues projecting therefrom and having downwardly-projecting inlets, and fusible caps normally covering said inlets but adapt-ed to be easily destroyed.

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